


That which has been forgotten

by uchiha



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-14 09:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8007157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uchiha/pseuds/uchiha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sabo has been having some weird dreams lately, and he starts to wonder what could they mean, why he's having them, and most of all, if his feelings are his own or not.<br/>For the One Piece Reverse Bang 2016.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is done to accompany [Kabedons' picture](http://kabedons.tumblr.com/post/150250170134/my-contribution-to-opreversebang-its-artwork) on tumblr as part of the One Piece Reverse Bang 2016!

“Excuse me, Robin?” The woman looked up from her book, marking the place where she was in the page with the tip of her perfectly manicured hand. “Do you believe in reincarnating?”

There’s a small moment of silence, where the two just stared at each other, before Robin smiles softly. “I do, Sabo, why do you ask?”

“I’ve been reading these books on it for the past few days and…” He falters, not entirely convinced if he should tell her or not.

“What’s wrong?” Robin frowns, grabbing one of her many sticky notes, locating it on the place where her finger was on her book, then closing it.

“Nothing is wrong!” Sabo raises his hands in front of him, slightly panicked, making the woman chuckle softly. He sighs, relaxing, letting his arms fall on the table. He starts playing with the corner of the page in front of him, and looks down at his hands, thinking, “I have been experiencing some weird things lately.”

“How weird?” Robin asks, taking a notepad and a pen from her bag. Sabo chuckles at this, knowing the woman is always ready for whatever new information that might come her way.

“Like… It feels like I’m experiencing someone else’s life.” Sabo starts, looking at the woman’s hands instead of her face. “It happens a lot when I’m falling asleep or waking up, but I feel like I’m someplace else, someone else.”

Robin takes a couple of notes on her notebook, and nods, “Can you describe what it is you feel?”

Sabo nods, finally looking up at her, seeing the seriousness which she’s taking everything with. Sighing, he nods once more, and continues talking. “I often feel like I’m on a ship of some sorts, wearing a hat, I can feel its weight on my head.” He closes his eyes, as if to visualize what he’s describing. “There’s this girl, she wears a very puffy hat, and she’s always around me.”

“Your girlfriend?” Robin asks, and Sabo shakes his head, frowning slightly.

“No... More like a partner in crime than a girlfriend actually.” 

Robin nods, humming lightly. “When did this start?”

Sabo opens his eyes, frown becoming deeper, and he crosses his arms in front of his chest. “I’m not entirely sure, but maybe about two weeks ago? It wasn’t that bad at first, I could barely see anything, but each day it’s getting more and more vivid.”

Robin frowns, her pen stopping completely on top of her notes.

“Sabo, do you remember what happened two weeks ago?” the man shakes his head, “You came in late one day, and told me you’ve had a bit of an accident.”

Sabo frowns, one hand going to his face, using his pointer and thumb to rest his face on. He thinks for a moment and then gasps, in realization. “That’s the day I crashed my bike against that boy with the weird hat!”

“Would you say it’s been happening since then?” 

Sabo stares at her, curious, “Yeah, I think that night was the first time I saw these… Visions.” He rises an eyebrow, “why do you ask?”

She smiles, soft and terrifying like always, “Because since that day I’ve had some visions like the ones you’re describing too.”

 

Sabo ended up staying a whole hour more than usual in the lab, leaving pale as a ghost and completely confused. Robin told her own visions to him, and then they decided to see if any of the points collided with each other. The only thing they had had in common was the girl with the hat, which had scared the both of them too much to continue talking about it. 

Robin mentioned something about research and had packed her things, asking Sabo to try and look up anything he could about something big that happened in the past. She had said it didn’t matter what, as long as it could connect two different people, of very different ages, in the same place. 

He liked reading history books, but there was not much to base it all on, except, maybe, a girl with a big hat that apparently liked to wear pink, according to Robin. He made his way to the Grand Line University Library, where he could take out as many books as he could carry and no one would bat an eye.

Sabo knew the world had changed a lot in the past hundreds, if not a thousand, years. There were many stories, myths, and legends that he’s heard since he was a child, but not much proof of those existing had been found. The world had changed so much that a lot of the things seemed impossible now, even fake. Like the type of phones they used in the past. 

He’s read it on a book before, how his ancestors would use telepathic animals able to use human language as a way of communication between faraway places. It sounded ridiculous, but it would explain why phones found on islands long sunk looked like they were based on giant snails.

Sabo sat on the history section of the library, looking for anything that could explain the things that happened before the government had been put in place, something that happened around five hundred years before his time. He found a few old and beaten books, taking them all with him, and setting them in one of the tables that were at everyone’s disposal. 

He opened the first book and groaned, nothing in the index seemed to be as old as he wanted it to be. Though it did seem to have a very interesting looking chapter on the Revolutionary War. He decided to skim through the pages, trying to find the information from the revolution, taking note of a Dragon that was mentioned more than once. Sabo took out a small plastic box from one of the many pockets in his bag, using the small sticky strip to mark the page he found had the most information. 

Leaving the first book aside, he went onto the one that looked like the most beaten up thing in the world. The spine was so fragile it felt like it was going to break and turn into dust if he handled it too roughly. Sabo used a hand to move blond strands of hair away from his eyes, thinking about how much he needed a haircut, when he noticed something in the book. It had no index.

Sabo flipped through the pages as carefully as possible, gasping when ne realized the words hadn’t been typed into a machine, but written by hand. With each page he skipped he noticed it looked more and more like a diary than a book, and he kept flipping until something caught his eyes. It was a signature, simple and smooth, and it read clearly.

“Koala,” Sabo whispered, touching the strokes with the tip of his fingers, and feeling like something was pulling at the back of his head.

He put the journal aside, noting it had no library markings like the other books, and, after a very short moral debate with himself, decided to put the book into his bag. Something told him he shouldn’t leave the library without it, and, without markings, the librarians were more than likely to take it away from him. 

It took him a couple of hours, three trips back to the shelves, and a lot of sighing, before he managed to find enough information to read during the coming weeks. He had found stuff on the War, the Government, the Marines, and surprisingly, about pirates. He never realized pirates had been an important part of the revolution until he had found a book that was dedicated to them, and, on the cover, was what looked like a jolly roger of a skull with a hat. 

He took all the books home with him, forgetting about the journal as soon as he entered his small living room and set the reusable bag on his table. He took out the book about pirates first, and started reading. He got a few chuckles, the book seemingly written in satire, but with dates and events that matched the descriptions of the revolution so well it seemed completely real. When reading something in one of the pages caught his eye. A small doodle-like picture that sat at the bottom of the page, with footnote explanations, that called it a Devil’s Fruit. It looked like a cantaloupe that had gone too many times on a roller coaster and was now forever swirled. Sabo chuckled, passing through the page and reading on about pirates. He felt giddy with excitement, wanting to know what happened on the next page as fast as possible, reading so many names that he was getting a headache, but always smiling.

“I bet it was fun being a pirate,” He mumbled as he read along, trying to understand what the book was explaining about the different crews and their involvement on the war. 

He discovered that the Devil’s Fruit was mentioned a lot in this book, and something kept bugging him about it. Sabo kept feeling like something wasn’t right, like the author had gotten something wrong about the Fruit. He had no option but to let it go, knowing that there was no way he could verify his theories unless he had more information. He kept on reading though, and there was point where it was not just the pirates, but the Revolutionaries and Marines involved too. As he expected it, the Marines were the pirates’ enemies, but some seemed to have defied their superiors and joined the enemy. The Revolutionaries were barely mentioned, and the feeling that something was wrong came back full force. 

By the time he was too tired to continue reading he realized it was too late to do anything but sleep, the sun predicted to rise in less than four hours. He put a marker sticky paper on the page he was on and decided to continue his readings after class. Sabo got up from the couch he had been sitting on for the past hours, stretching, hearing his back crack loudly. He thought of something and decided to make a note as to not forget it. He needed to tell Robin about this book and the things he kept feeling while reading it. Sabo thought Robin would, without a doubt, find that interesting.

That night the vision didn’t come as he was falling asleep, and thinking that he was too tired to even see the girl anymore he smiled, curling up on his bed with his blankets hugging him tightly. The vision did come, but it wasn’t as before, tis time it was cleared, longer, and more vivid, coming to him in the form of a dream. He heard someone say his name, and he turned, feeling the heaviness of what seemed like a top hat on his head. Sabo heard himself laugh and tell the person that had called him not to worry, noticing then that there were more people around than he had previously though. He said a few things that, upon waking up, he couldn’t remember, but he heard himself call the girl in pink with the fluffy hat, who was standing at his side when he turned to his left, by a name he felt he had heard before; Koala.

Sabo woke up covered in sweat, breathing too fast for his own good, his heart thumping on his chest and his hands shaking at his sides.

“What the hell is going on?”


	2. Chapter 2

Sabo missed the first class of the day, too tired to wake up in time. He didn’t care too much, deciding to look for the journal he remembered as soon as he woke up, reading a few of the entries and feeling goose bumps all over his body as he did. Something told him the journal was real, and that it had been kept, safe and almost in perfect condition, for hundreds of years in order for him to find it. 

He decided to not eat breakfast, too busy trying to finish reading the book about pirates, and by the time lunch came around he was starving. He decided to go to the school cafeteria, and just entering made his mouth water. He could see the pizza rotating in the pizza corner, and the ladies smiling behind the counter in the salad bar. He walked to the burger stall and asked for a double with extra cheese, his stomach agreeing with the choice. 

It took less than five minutes for his burger to be ready, with every ingredient he could fill it with, so big it wouldn’t fit in his mouth no matter what he did. He started walking towards the drink fountain, taking just a second to pick a Pepsi for drink choice, filling up the cup he grabbed from the side of the machine to the brim. He made sure everything was closed and ready to go before moving towards the cash register, paying in cash, and looking for a table from his location. When he found a target he started walking towards it, trying to look around him as much as possible to avoid any accidents, but it still failed him. Someone bumped him from behind, making him trip and drop his drink. He almost dropped the burger too but, he thinks thanks to the pirates he had been reading about, the burger was saved.

“I’m so, so, so, so sorry!” He heard a girl’s voice say, as he put the tray down on the nearest table, “I’m really, really sorry! I’ll get you a new drink if you want me to!”

“That’s ok You don’t—“ Sabo started turning around as he spoke, and if her bumping into him hadn’t made him drop his drink, looking at her would have. “Koala?” 

“Yes?” The girl looks at him, a couple of papers slipping from her hand. She moves down to pick them up, noticing how Sabo hadn’t moved an inch. “Are you ok?”

“Y-Yeah,” Sabo takes a breath and nods. He looks at the girl, who happened to be wearing a pink dress, and his heart beats faster. “Are you really Koala?”

“Yeah.. But how do you know my name?” She asks, raising an eyebrow.

“This is going to sound super creepy but,” he looks around, not entirely sure why, “I met you in a dream.”

They’re both quiet for a few seconds, before Koala starts laughing, her whole body shaking with the motion. “If it weren’t for the fact that I’m sure I wouldn’t forget a face like yours, I’d say you are crazy.”

Sabo smiles, a small little quip of his lips, “So I’m not crazy then?”

“Oh no, you totally are, I just think you’re also not lying, which would probably mean I’m also crazy, for believing you.” She moves all the papers she had into her left arm, extending her other one in Sabo’s direction. “It’d be dumb to introduce myself since you already know who I am, but Koala Queen’s the name! Nice to meet you.” 

Sabo takes the offered hand and smiles, shaking it, “Sabo Renolds, nice to meet you too.” 

She smiles as their hands separate, and gasps. “Oh no! I was supposed to bring these to the professor! I’m really sorry Sabo but I have to leave.” She starts walking away when Sabo calls to her.

“Wait! Whenever you’re free please come to the anthropology department, ask for Doctor Robin Nico, I’m meeting her later tonight so we can talk more!” Koala doesn’t say anything, just nods as she waves and walks away, almost crashing into someone else on the way. Sabo chuckles, turning back to his probably cold burger, sighing as he picks up the tray. “Well... I need a new drink.”

 

By the time Sabo reached Robin’s office he was exhausted. He had spent most of his time in class trying to figure out from his classmates what was said in his missed lecture, and he decided that, no matter what, he was not going to miss another history class. 

“Sorry I’m late, I ended up-“ He was surprised to see Koala sitting on his usual seat when he opened the door.

“Welcome Sabo,” Robin said in her usual calm tone, “it seems you have made a new acquaintance.”

“Hi Sabo!” Koala stood up, showing him a drawing, “doesn’t it look like me?” 

Sabo looks at the offered page and raises an eyebrow. He looks up at the girl in front of him, then at the drawing again, and smiles. “Yeah, it looks exactly like you.”

“Right? Dr. Nico drew it before we met!” For some reason Sabo can’t explain, she’s too enthusiastic about the fact. 

“I was explaining to her what we talked about yesterday,” Robin explains, “about the visions and the possible explanations we came up with.”

“So how sure are you about this whole reincarnation thing?” Koala asks, sitting down again, as Sabo went around the table to the other side.

“Not too sure,” Robin says, taking out her notes, “but from what I’ve gathered, me and Sabo seem to have connecting visions like I mentioned, and they all included you.”

“Then why did you say we met in a dream?” Koala turns to Sabo, expectation obvious on her face. 

“Well, I was actually coming to tell that to Robin,” he turns to look at said woman, “I had a dream this morning, and everything became a lot clearer. I was able to see Koa—her.” 

Robin nods, taking down a few notes. “Anything else?” Sabo shook his head, and Koala made a noise of disappointment, at which Robin chuckled. “It’s my turn then. I also had a dream, but it wasn’t Koala who showed up in it.” She takes a piece of paper from her binder, “it was you, Sabo.” 

Sabo takes the drawing and gasps, te paper falling from his hand. He picks it up before it completely settles on top of the polished wood of the table, and stares at it. The person on Robin’s drawing is, without a doubt, himself, but he looked different. His hair was longer, and his scar a lot bigger, but it only covered his face. He instinctively moves a hand to his left shoulder, where the scar that covered him ended. He looks at the picture and notices the hat. He hadn’t described to  Robin what it looked like but here it was, exactly as he had seen it when he put it on in his dream, weird goggles and everything.

“So… we’re either connected to a random alternative universe, or reincarnation is a lot scarier than what books say it is.” Sabo says, passing the drawing back to Robin, who then passes it to Koala.

“I think it’s the second one,” Robin says, looking at her notes, “they way I saw my dream was more like something that had already happened. Like rereading a favourite book only to notice someone had changed the story.”

Sabo gasps, and drops his bag on the floor, rummaging through it until he finds what he’s looking for, the book about pirates he had found. “This book gave me that feeling!” Robin takes the book as it’s offered to her, and she starts skimming through it.

Sabo and Koala watch her, both at the end of their seats, and Robin looks up from the book, raising an eyebrow at them. Both blush slightly and look down. Koala starts reading one of the books in front of her and Sabo is not entirely sure of what to do. He opens his bag, rummaging through it, until he finds the book he took- not stolen if it's in the library- from the library and started flipping through it. 

They sat in silence for a while, Sabo reading the diary the whole time and making a humming noise that got the women's attention. 

"This diary looks like it belonged to the old Koala," he says as he flips through one of the pages, "it has a lot of weapons and different artifacts mentioned, also something I read on that book about pirates, devil fruits."

Robin stares at the book for a few seconds, "can I ask you to leave that behind when you go today?"

"I wanna read it too!" Koala says, excited, "if my past self wrote it, it must be interesting."

Sabo chuckles as he passes the diary along, taking one of the many books on the table and starting to read it. He can hear the passing of pages and the sound of the air conditioner in the background, both sounds that he's used to. He starts to tune out after a while, eyes lingering around the book's words but not really reading. 

"Sabo," he hears Koala's muffled voice, and he looks up at her. She looks different somehow, "we can't detour from our mission for too long, don't forget it." 

"I know, I know," he hears himself answer, "I just want to see my brother again, that's all."

"Sabo. Wake up," he snaps out of it really fast when he hears Robin's voice. He looks at Koala, who's staring at him with worry in her eyes.

"Did I fall asleep?" He asks, passing a hand through his hair, pushing it back completely. 

They shake their heads, "you were staring at your book and answered when Koala called, but your response..." Robin frowned, crossing her arms.

"You weren't responding to me," Koala said, finishing Robin's sentence. "You said something about wanting to meet your brother."

Sabo swallows hard, and his hands shake slightly. "I was looking directly at you, but you weren't... You." 

"Who's this brother you spoke off?" Robin questions, her pen moving rapidly against her notepad.

Sabo shakes his head, "I don't know. I don't have any brothers."

They stay in silence for a moment after that, no sound other than the air con making noise. 

"Do you want to stop for today?" Robin asks, and both Sabo and Koala shake their heads. "Perfect. I shall get back to this very funny story about pirates."

Koala giggled, passing the page to her diary and gasping, "Sabo! Your name is here!" She turns the book towards him, pointing with her finger, "see?"

Sabo takes the diary and examines the page, in between all the words there was a small sentence: 'Sabo needs to learn to learn some manners'. He laughed, passing the book back to Koala, who giggled yet again after reading the contents. She then shows Robin who smiles before getting back to her own reading.

Sadly they didn't find anything important in the diary, but Koala decided she wanted to keep it nonetheless, just in case it triggered a memory from her past self. When the girl was about to leave she turned to Robin, a frown on her face. Sabo stops packing when he notices her.

"Robin?" Said woman looked up from her book, one eyebrow raised in question, "isn't it weird to have the same name as our ancestors?"

Robin stares at her for a moment, then grabs a sticky page marker and uses it, closing the book. "I have been thinking about that actually," she says, "As of now it seems all three of us share our ancestor's names, looks, and general personality. I think this is part of the cycle, where a soul is so connected to its previous life that it needs to repeat itself."

"But if this happened in the era before the war," Sabo frowns, his arms crossed in front of his chest, "then it was around eight hundred years ago right? Wouldn't have the souls of our ancestors returned to the human world more than once already?"

"Yes," Robin answers, "which is why I think that the lives we're seeing were probably the only ones that created an impact on the world."

Koala and Sabo stare at each other, then at Robin, "what does that mean?" They both ask at the same time.

"That we need to figure out what our many ancestors couldn't: what happened during the war."

"But it's all in the books," Koala starts, frowning.

"No, it isn't," Sabo interrupts her, "the history books talk about the Revolutionary War and mention other things happened at the same time, they never said what these other things are though."

"You are correct," Robin says, tapping the book she had recently closed, "and it seems whoever wrote this book knew something about it, because nowhere in our history books are pirates mentioned but this one," she taps it again, "this one has things from a different perspective."

"How are we going to figure it out though? The missing history?"

"Quite simple," Robin smiles, and both Sabo and Koala feel shivers, "we have to find the reincarnations of the people that were involved in the war.”


	3. Chapter 3

Sabo had left Robin's office with more questions than answers. He had grown up thinking that the government, with help from the Army, had been the heroes of history, but now something was telling him everyone had gotten it wrong. History was not as written, someone has messed with it until it was what he knew now.

He walked around campus, looking around, wondering how much of what he knew of his school was true or not. He had been going to Grand Line University, GLU for short, for the past four years, pursuing his degree in Anthropology. He had joined the archeology club after curiosity got the best of him, where he had met Robin, the professor in charge. He had gotten along with her right from the start, and he had decided to stay in the club. When the semester ended and Robin wasn't the leader of the club anymore, Sabo still decided to stay by her side and help her with his research. Now they were partners in crime. Or so Sabo likes to believe.

He's walking around the edge of the campus, trying to think about which of the things he has now his past self also had. He knows the den den mushi were a thing back then because he saw one of Koala's hand in his last dream, but they looked completely different now. They were completely plastic and metallic, nothing like the thing that he saw. He wasn't looking where he was going, didn't actually have a destination in mind, and so he ended up outside of campus, close to the high school nearby. He smiled, thinking of his high school back at home in the island. 

He wondered then if everywhere used to be connected in the past too. He's never cared to look up how old the sea train is, or how did someone manage to make a fake island, and yet, he stared at the floor under his feet. He's always known Grand Line is a fake island, made from land mass of smaller islands all stuck together somehow. They taught everyone about the labour of the government to make this fake island, where the world's biggest university was located. He always thought they had moved the islands with machines not unlike the ones used for construction, but now he's starting to wonder if the weird powers mentioned on that weird pirate book might have something to do with how the island was created.

He's forced out of his musing when a teenager crashes against his chest, making him fall back, hitting his back against the pavement. He's looking up at the sky, blinking, when a boy looks at him from the side of where his head is located. He's wearing the oldest looking straw hat, with a flower picking out of a side, and the biggest brown eyes he's ever seen in his life.

"Hey, you ok there?" The boy asks, his eyebrows furrowing slightly

"Yeah." Sabo smiles and the boy smiles back.

"You should get up then! The sidewalk isn't a good place to sleep!" The boy laughs, holding onto the straw hat and disappearing from his view.

Sabo sits up, looking around, seeing the boy standing a bit off to the left, on the grass. The blond chuckles, standing up and cleaning his clothes, and then he hears the boy laughing again.

"You have a flower stuck to your back," the boy says, laughing even louder when Sabo tries to reach the mentioned object. 

Sabo pouts, staring at the boy who's still laughing. "At least help me out!"

"Ok, ok." He closes the distance between them, picking the flower with two fingers, throwing it on the floor beside him. Sabo smiles, nodding.

"Thanks... Err, what's your name?"

"Luffy!" The boy says, holding onto his hat with both hands and smiling as big as his face would let him. 

"Nice to meet you, Luffy! I'm Sabo." Luffy laughs again, and just nods.

"I know! I met you already," Luffy laughs again, starting to walk away. 

Sabo blinks, staring at the boy. He knows he's never met the boy before so those words freeze him in place. He realizes there's questions forming on his head as he sees Luffy turn the corner, and he shakes his head, curiosity getting the best of him, making him jog after the boy,

When he finds Luffy again the other is with a scary looking green haired man and another blond, who looks like he might kill anyone he encounters and Sabo stops, staring at them. Was Luffy part of a gang or something? He swallows, staring for a minute, before the green haired man turns to look at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Hey, Luffy," he starts, not moving from his stop a good three metres away from the three guys, "where did you meet me?"

Luffy smiles so big his eyes close, "from a dream!" And Sabo is left speechless.

He can't even bring himself to move as he watches the trio walk away, talking happily, or as happy as two grumpy people can be with a kid. Sabo stays where his is, his whole body shaking slightly. 

That kid knows exactly what's happening, doesn't he?

By the time he realizes he needs to be able to contact the boy again, it's too late. The three of them disappeared from his view and he doesn't know where they went. He runs toward the fork on the street but he doesn't see anyone on either side. He sighs, taking his den den from his pocket and calling Robin's number.

 

"So you think the kid is the reason you started having visions?" Koala asks the next day, chewing on a pen cap.

"He's the kid that bumped into me that time, I know it." Sabo says, nodding with his words.

"We have to find that kid if we want to be sure though," Robin says as he opens up yet another book. How did that woman read so fast? "I need to ask him a few questions before we reach any conclusion." She picks up a book from the bag beside her without even looking up, "Sabo, I found a new book you can read if you want you can start now."

"Ah... I forgot to tell you, but I have an appointment today." He scratches his head, looking at the table.

Koala perks up, looking away from her report, "is it a date?!"

Sabo blushes, looking up at her, shaking his hands in front of her face in a panic, "no! I'm going to talk to a tattoo artist!" Robin giggles from her corner and Sabo glares at her.

"Oh! I didn't know you were interested in tattoos!"

"I just want one actually," he blushes a bit more, touching the left side of his face, "I kinda want to hide... The rest of this."

Koala takes a breath before speaking, "I don't know what happened, but if you think it'll be of help, then do whatever you think it's best." Sabo smiled, knowing that there was nothing he could say to Koala for her words.

He picked up his things, taking the book Robin had gotten for him to read, and looking up the address of the parlour as he left the room. He heard the women say something but he was too far to understand what it was, most likely about the whole resurrection thing though. 

He decided to grab a crepe to go as he left the campus, the stall too enticing to pass it up, and he made his way to his destination as he ate. He stood in front of the place staring at the sign on the top with nervous eyes. He had never been in a place such as this before, and even though it looked inviting he was still nervous. He swallowed, taking a breath before walking to the door and opening it. 

A bell announced his arrival, and a tall, slightly tanned man, with wavy black hair, and the most amount of freckles he's even seen in a male face before, walked up to the counter and smiled at him.

"Welcome to The Phoenix! How can I help you with?"

Sabo had to swallow after hearing the man. His voice was slightly raspy and deep, and he sounded as happy as he looked. "I'm here for an appointment with huh... Marco."

"Oh! You're the dragon!" The man smiled even more, which Sabo thought was impossible before, "wait here a sec, I'll be back."

When the man left Sabo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He looked around, noticing some shirts in various cuts, some framed pictures, one with the freckled man in it, and some candies by the very comfortable looking couches that were opposite the counter. He noticed there was a loud buzzing in the background that he hadn't heard before, and his nervousness came back. He hears someone laugh and then the freckled man came back with a tall blond, as tanned as him, with the weirdest haircut he had ever seen someone sporting. The freckled man went back behind the counter, doing something on the computer, as the blond stood in front of Sabo.

Sabo had to look up to the see the man's face and his surprise was too obvious, and the man chuckled and extended his hand. "I'm Marco, nice to meet you."

"Sabo," Sabo took the offered hand and shook it, still in awe looking at the man. Marco just smiled and directed the blond to the couches. 

They sat down, one in each couch, and got down to business.

"So tell me about this dragon you talked on your email."

Sabo nods, swallowing before speaking. "I want a traditional dragon, with the main body in blue, the rest in any colour you think would be best, and I want the head to cover a scar I have on my shoulder blade."

"Scars are easy to cover but the skin is always sensitive on it. Come into the back so I can check it out."

Marco stood up, taking a notepad offered to him as he passed by the freckled man. Sabo followed after him, noticing he was followed by the way too happy guy. Inside there was another man, with yet another weird haircut, tattooing the back of the leg of a lady with green hair. Sabo smiled at the man as he looked up, getting a nod in response before he looked back down and kept on working. Marco sits on a chair while the other man that came after Sabo sat on another chair nearby.

"Ok, let's see it," Marco says, and Sabo nods, unbuttoning his shirt, trying to look at anything but the people around him. He turns with his back to Marco and the man hums. "It's not too big but it's sizeable. If I draw a dragon to cover the scar it will take over your whole back to match with the size of the head."

"What if you make it like its spitting fire and turn the scar to fire instead?" Sabo looks at the freckled man, blinking, blushing slightly when the man winks at him.

"That could work. The scar moves nicely upwards and towards your shoulder and neck, it gives it a good impressions. What do you think?" He asks Sabo, who's still slightly red.

"That... Actually sounds really cool." He smiles, looking at the freckled man, as Marco motions Sabo to put his shirt back on, "thanks, huh..."

"Oh!" He stands up, rolling his shirt up, and Sabo can see Marco rolling his eyes, "I always know what to say, because I've got an ace under my sleeve!" 

He can hear simultaneous groans from the men that work at the store as the younger one reveals the word 'ACE' tattooed on his arm. Sabo is impressed with the work, as the A is inside a black spade filled with what looks like black flames. The man laughs, letting his sleeve roll down and Marco sighs. 

"If I knew you'd be making stupid jokes like that I would have never done that tattoo." 

"Hey, it's cool, and my jokes aren't stupid!"

"Oh they are," Tatch says from the side of the room, "they totally are."

Sabo blinks watching the interaction and Marco just shakes his head, "don't pay attention to Ace and come here, I need to see the scar a bit closer."

"Say," the man he now knows to be called Ace says as he rolls his chair towards Sabo, "is this going to be your first tattoo?"

"Yeah," Sabo smiles, scratching his chin, "I'm scared but it feels exciting."

"Yeah, I know what that's like," Ace answered, touching the place that Sabo now knows holds the tattoo of his own name, "but it's really cool seeing it done!"

Tatch chuckles and stops his tattooing for a second, "you should show him your back."

Ace's face lights up as the man's words and Sabo feels happy. Seeing Ace so excited about something makes him want to be excited with him. He can't help but stare when Ace stands up and takes off his shirt in front of him, sculpted abs and a smooth chest are very difficult to ignore. He looks up rapidly, only to see Ace staring at him with a smirk, and Sabo blushes once more when Ace blinks at him. His embarrassment doesn't last too long though, as Ace turns around to reveal a panther covering his back.

Sabo gasps, and Marco chuckles. "It's a piece me and Tatch did together," he explains, and Sabo notices the muscle under the ink and blushes once more, "it took, how long? Eight hours?"

"Ten," Ace said putting his shirt back on, "ten hours and five minutes. It's hard to forget how much you two laughed at me."

"That's because you're a baby and wouldn't stay still."

"I'm not a baby!" Ace pouts, and Sabo catches himself thinking about how attractive Ace is, "that shit hurts!" Everyone in the room laughs, including Sabo and the woman being tattooed, and Ace crosses his arms and pouts more. 

"Ok, back to business," Marco says as he takes some notes down on his notepad, "how big do you want this dragon?"

"Umm..." Sabo thinks for a moment, and smiles, "my whole back."

"You want it to be spread out in s shape or all scrunched together like a slinky?"

"Stretched would look better I think." He looks at Ace, who nods in agreement. Sabo smiles at him.

"Ok in that case it might take... Around seven to eight hours." He scribbles something on his notepad, which Sabo thinks looks like a snake with a big tongue, "you want it with traditional tones too or more realistic?"

"Realistic... Though how realistic can a fictional animal be?" 

Marco smirks as Ace laughs, and writes down more stuff. "Go with Ace to the front to set up the date. We'll do outline in one day and colour on a different one. Also Ace," he turns to the man who nods, "make sure to set up a date for him to see the drawing."

"Yes sir!" Ace starts walking towards the front and Sabo follows him. He does something on the computer as the blond waits. "Ok how does the seventeenth sound for you?" Sabo nods, "great, seventeenth of this month and then in May too, for the colour."

"I have to wait a full month?" Sabo asks, curious.

"Yup! Marco always wants the wait to be a full month so it's fully healed. And a week before then to see the drawing sounds good?" Sabo nods again, and Ace makes a note on the computer. He takes a card from the drawer and writes down all the information on it. "This is all the dates, I'll call you a week before the tattoo appointment to make sure you remember, and that'll be a fifty Bely deposit please!" Sabo nods once more as he takes his wallet out of his pocket, after he pays, Ace smiles at him. "Now I'm going to be creepy."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I'm going to ask you to come to the bar called The Moby Dick tomorrow night."

"And why would you want that?" Sabo asks, putting his wallet away

Ace smiles at him, "because I'd like to have some drinks with you Sabo, since you're pretty interesting."

"What would happen if I don't go?"

"Oh nothing, I'll just ask you again next time you're in."

Sabo bites his lower lip, taking one of the cards offered on the counter, flipping it, and taking the pen that's in front of Ace, using it to write down something on it. 

"I'm busy tomorrow, but ask me again on Saturday and we'll see."

Ace takes the card offered to him with a smile, "I'll be sure to do so."

Sabo smiles as he exits the store, his face tinted red.


	4. Chapter 4

Sabo laughs when his phone rings, not even five minutes after sending the text he knew would make Koala call him.

"Yes?" He answers, smile big on his face.

"What do you mean you gave a guy your number! Robin is laughing! Is he hot?" Sabo laughs, taking his key out and entering his apartment.

"Yeah, he is. He's the receptionist at the tattoo parlour," he sighs as he walks into his room, a small one bedroom one bathroom but comfortable like nothing else.

"Oh my god, you need to send me a picture of him!" 

"I just met him! Why would I have a picture?" 

"What if you actually date this guy? Sabo, I need to meet him before you start dating."

Sabo blushes furiously and mentally thanks the solitude of his living quarters. "Koala! I just met him!"

"What is this man's name?" He can hear Robin asking and he groans.

"You have me on speaker?!" He sighs when he hears the women giggle, "Ace. His name is Ace."

"Interesting..." Sabo waits for Robin to continue but she says nothing else. 

"I'm going to have to read around fifty pages of this book for my report so I'll ask you details about him later ok?" Koala says, sounding very sad about it.

Sabo doesn't say anything in return and just hangs up the phone. He decides to occupy his time doing his homework, which is just a couple of short readings, so when he's done there's nothing better to do than read the book Robin had given him. It turned out to be a lot more interesting than he expected, and he actually took a notepad and started writing notes from it. It talked a lot about the government and all the things that made no sense with their actions, especially the Revolutionary War. He found out that Monkey D. Dragon had been the leader of the revolutionaries, and that he wasn't the one to lead the war, but instead, it had been a group of pirates. It didn't exactly say their names but it apparently was a whole armada of pirates that fought against the government with the revolutionaries just backing them up.

He will forever deny that his phone beeping scared him into jumping and dropping his notepad. He picked it up, laughing as he read the message.

"'This is your best play messaging you, I hope you don't mind an Ace of spades in your hand!' What is up with this man?" Sabo smiled at his phone, trying to think of a way to respond.

Nothing he came up with was as witty or as ridiculous as what the man had, so he just sent a greeting, getting an immediate response. He spent all night texting Ace, asking about himself and about his job... Or jobs, as the man had three apparently. Sabo didn't expect to get along with someone as fast as he did with Ace, and he felt calm and relaxed and happy. Talking to Ace made everything else seem like it wasn't important.

That night he dreamt of being snuggled in a fire that didn't burn, and Ace's smiling face in between the flames.

 

Koala had said he looked fine, and that everything would be ok, but Sabo was still extremely nervous. He was pacing around his small living room when he heard a knock on the door. He jumped, stopping closer to the kitchen than anything else, and taking a deep breath right after. He walked to the door and opened it. He couldn't help the gasp that left his mouth as he took in what Ace looked like. He was wearing the tightest black jeans Sabo had even seen in his life, a dark orange button down that clung nicely to his body and let part of his arm tattoo show, and Sabo blushed so much Ace actually laughed.

"I know, I know. I told my mom I was going out and she told me to wear this." He laughs again, scratching his chin, "I guess it worked!"

"Shut up," Sabo says as he closes the door behind him, "let's go."

"I hope you're ready for your first motorcycle ride." Ace said, smirking as he walked besides Sabo down the hallway and to the stairs.

"Absolutely! I'm super excited." Which was true. Sabo had squealed when he read the text message that told him Ace rode a motorcycle. He'd always been curious about how it would feel to ride a motorcycle, but with how strict his parents were, he had barely managed to get his license for a car after two whole years of arguing why he needed one in the first place.

They reached the parking lot of his building and Sabo gasped. The motorcycle Ace had was big and dark orange and his helmet was a simple black. He stared for a while before he heard Ace chuckle. Sabo turned to look at his companion and noticed the man was handing him a helmet, decorated with orange and red flames and he couldn't help the laughter that erupted from him.

"You really have a thing for fire, eh?" Sabo asked, and he wanted to save the memory of Ace blushing in his mind forever.

"I don't know why, it's just something that happened I guess. Since I was little I liked the idea of being able to control fire, so I guess it kept up with me all these years." He takes his spot on his bike and fixes his helmet on his head before he pats the seat behind him. "Come on, we can't get anywhere if you don't join me."

Sabo blushed as he put his helmet on and sat on his corresponding seat. He blushed even darker when Ace turned to look at him, the visor of his helmet raised up. "Hold onto the holder on the side... Or to me, whichever you prefer to touch more." Ace laughed as he felt Sabo wrap his arms around his waist, and he turned his bike on. Sabo held on stronger and Ace made sure to start the drive as slowly as he could, feeling more than hearing the gasp that left Sabo's mouth.

It took them around twenty minutes to reach their destination, The Moby Dick, the bar Ace loved more than anything else. Except maybe pizza. He had told Sabo about the place in one of the many conversations they've had in the past two days, telling him how he had started working in the bar when he was barely of age. He loved the people that worked in the bar, he felt like they were a family. He got comfortable around the people working in the store really fast, and it helped that his dad was friends with the owner, something he didn't discover until after he had been working there for a year.

Tonight was one he was off, though, so he had decided to take Sabo to the bar, not only so that he could see his friends, but also because the drinks they served and the snacks were delicious. Sabo was really glad to know that the first time he would ever be anywhere with Ace, they'd be going somewhere the man loved. It made him think of inviting Ace to his favourite restaurant for their next date. The thought made him blush furiously, and he was glad to still have the helmet on. 

Ace parked and told Sabo to get off the bike first, then when Sabo was back to standing on his own two feet, which were slightly wobbly. Ace took his helmet off before getting off the bike, and tucked it under his arm as he stood up.

"Bring yours along, I'll ask Pops to put them in lockers."

"Pops?" 

"Yeah, he's the owner of this bar," Ace laughed as he opened up the door for Sabo, "he's weird like that and likes being called Pops by anyone younger than him. Hey, maybe even make you call him that!" He laughs as the idea were the most hilarious thing in the world, and then an older, but well built man approached them. "Just when I was talking about him! Hi Pops!"

The man laughs, patting Ace on the shoulder, talking directly to Sabo, with a voice deeper than he expected it to be, "welcome to the crew! Take a sit and we'll send someone to serve you, don't worry about anything and enjoy your time with our Ace here."

Sabo nods, "Thank you, sir." 

"Call me Pops, everyone does. And here boys, give me those helmets, I'll make sure they stay safe."

They do as they are told, and Ace smiles, "thanks Pops."

Pops laughs, making the space around them vibrate as he does, and pats Sabo on the shoulder too, both strongly and carefully, and then nods to Ace, winks at him, making Ace blush, and then leaves to somewhere behind the bar.

"Come on, I see a good one free," and without waiting for a response he grabs Sabo's wrist and leads him to a small table, just for two. 

Sabo sits on one end and Ace in front of him, and they start talking immediately. A pretty girl walks up to them and asks them what they want, Sabo getting a beer and Ace just getting a ton of food and a soft drink.

"Don't wanna have to make you taxi home tonight," he says when Sabo asks why he isn't drinking.

They joke around all night, and the bartender comes to the table and politely ask Ace to leave because they're closing already. Ace pouts and says he wants to stay longer, but Sabo laughs, slightly happy from how much beer he's drunk.

"We can do this again sometime else, Ace! Don't worry about our night ending!"

Ace smiles sweetly and nods, standing up and extending his hand up to Sabo, who takes it immediately. When they reach the bar they're still holding hands, and the bartender winks at Ace, who just blushes slightly as he grabs the helmets left on the bar for them. Sabo takes the one offered to him with his free hand and they walk outside.

The ride back to Sabo's was pretty fun, mostly because it was slightly colder and he stuck to Ace as much as he could, making the other man laugh. By the time they reached Sabo's apartment, it's was so cold out that he decided to do something he wasn’t expecting to do.

"Hey, Ace?"

"Yeah?" Ace responded, his face red from the cold.

Sabo chuckled before clearing his throat, "want to come in for some tea? Until it's warmer?"

"That won't be until morning... Are you sure?"

Sabo nods, blushing slightly, "yeah, yeah I'm sure."

Ace smiles, and Sabo makes way for him to enter. "Excuse me," he says as he takes off his boots off, leaving them off to the side. He looks around the apartment, whistling, "this is a pretty cool place you've got here."

"It's not that impressive," Sabo answers, walking into the kitchen, taking the teapot and filling it with water, letting it boil as he walks back into the living room, where Ace is looking at the books on the table.

"You can read through them if you want, they're pretty boring though."

"This one actually looks really interesting," he says, picking the book on history that Robin had given Sabo a couple of days prior, "are you studying history now? I thought you were in anthropology."

"That's more of a side research thing I'm doing with some friends," he's not sure whether he wants to tell Ace why he's reading that or not yet, "thought that book talks about a lot of really interesting things you don't get to learn in any way."

"Like what?" Ace asks as he flips through the pages.

"Like pirates." Sabo chuckles when Ace stares up at him, surprised. "Yeah, I didn't think they existed for real but, according to that book, they were not only real, but pretty amazing.”

“Were they really?” He looks at the book, a frown forming on his face.

“What’s wrong?” 

“I had a weird dream last night… I dreamt I was a pirate.”

Sabo stares at Ace for a moment, not entirely sure he should bring it up or not. He’s about to say something when the teapot whistles, making him walk back into the kitchen and prepare two cups of tea. 

“Do you like yours with milk and sugar?” 

“Yeah,” Ace responds, standing in the kitchen door, leaning against the frame, “Let me help you out with that.”

“This kitchen is pretty small…”

“I don’t mind being stacked up against you.”

Sabo laughs at the comment, and passes Ace his cup, then the milk, putting the sugar in the middle between them. He notices Ace puts just a drop of milk, but three spoonfuls of sugar, and he chuckles. Ace looks at him, wondering what was so funny, but Sabo just shook his head, not really wanting to say anything. They walked back to the living room, sat on the couch, and, after taking a sip from his tea, Sabo decided to confide in Ace.

“That dream you had,” he started, setting his cup on the table, next to the book Robin had given him, “did it feel like it was something real? Something that happened in the past?” 

Ace thinks for a moment, taking a sip from his own tea, humming softly, “Yeah, it did.” He sets his cup down too, and stares at Sabo, “How did you know that?”

“Because I’ve had dreams like those too, except…” He swallows, looking down at his hands. “They’re not dreams. They’re memories.”

Ace blinks once, then stares a bit more, with his mouth hanging open and his brow furrowed, “Memories?”

Sabo nods, picking up his cup and looking at the table in front of him. “It’s something a couple of friends and I have been studying the past month, but we think everyone right now is a reincarnation of someone we used to be, and, for some weird coincidence, we happen to have the same names as the original owners of these memories.” He wants to look at Ace, badly, but he doesn’t want to see a look of disbelief on the man, so he stays looking at the books. 

“And you’ve all had realistic looking dreams.” Ace says, as matter of factly.

“Yes. All our dreams connect with one another, and have each other in them.” Sabo takes another drink from his cup, almost finishing his tea, when Ace sighs.

“I can’t lie, this sounds ridiculous, but…” Sabo looks up at Ace, who’s not looking back, but instead is looking at the ceiling, “I’ve had dreams with Marco and Tatch in them, but they never made sense to me because… We were pirates.”

Sabo gasps, “Is it ok if I take notes?”

Ace blinks, looking at him, and then laughs. “Why is this stuff so interesting to you?” 

“Robin, the person that came up with the theory of us being reincarnations, wants to try and figure out why we’re starting to see these memories,” he blushes slightly, scratching his arm, “I would actually want for her to hear this from you but…”

“Take the notes. We have all morning.” 

Sabo took his notepad from the table, and Ace offered to take the cups to the kitchen since he was finished with his tea, Sabo finished his in one gulp and set up everything for the note taking as Ace came back and got comfortable on the couch again. 

He started talking about the many different things he had seen in his dream, starting with him having a weird fire power, that allowed his whole body to transform into fire itself. Sabo then explained what little he knew about the devil fruits, and Ace was more amazed than anything. 

“You know a lot about this stuff,” Ace mentioned, right after explaining how he’d joined the Whitebeard Pirates in his past life, “that’s pretty amazing.” 

“Not really,” Sabo stretches his arms and legs, groaning as various joints crack, making Ace chuckle, “it’s mostly stuff Robin has found out and theorized, I just repeat what she’s told me.”

“Well, this Robin of yours is pretty amazing then,” Ace smiles, which then turns into a yawn.

Sabo yawns too, and then they stare at each other and laugh.

“I think we should sleep.” Sabo gets up, letting his pen and his notepad resting on the table.

“Oh? You want to sleep with me already?” Ace asks, and Sabo blushes so red so fast Ace actually laughs loudly, having to cover his mouth, to not wake anyone up by accident.

“You- you can stay if you want,” is all Sabo says before he turns towards the kitchen, to drink a glass of water. When he turns around Ace is standing on the kitchen doorway, resting against the frame, just as he was the night before. 

“I can’t stay sadly, but next time I’ll come prepared to do so.” Sabo nods, feeling the disappointment on his chest, “Though there’s something I want to do before I leave.” Ace closes the small distance between them, smiling at Sabo, “Would you mind if I kissed you?” 

Sabo doesn’t say anything, he just nods, and Ace’s smile is so sweet he thinks he’s going to die. Then Ace kisses him. Now he’s going to die for sure. The kiss is soft and sweet, and Sabo can’t help but place his hands over the chest in front of him, feeling the heat irradiating from the man. It’s not a short kiss, but it doesn’t get any farther than innocent and pure, to Sabo’s growing disappointment. 

Ace steps away from him, his cheeks slightly pink, matching with his lips. They smile at each other, and Sabo can feel how hot his face is, but he doesn’t care, because Ace is touching his chin, and Sabo is going to ask what’s wrong before Ace kisses him again, a simple and short peck. Sabo doesn’t realize he’s made a noise until Ace chuckles, winking at him, and walking towards the door to put his shoes on. 

“Not sure if it was clear, but I kinda want to go out with you again,” Ace says he’s walking out the door, turning around in the hallway to stand face to face with the owner of the small apartment. 

Sabo smiles, and nods, “I know you can’t get enough of me, mister.”

“Hey you can’t have a full hand without the Ace,” and this time it’s Sabo that has to cover his mouth as he laughs.

“There’s this cafe I’ve always wanted to go to, I’ll text you the information later and we can meet up there when you’re free again, deal?”

“Deal.” Ace smiles and walks down the hallway, waving at Sabo as he does, and almost crashing against the staircase door by not looking forward. Sabo waits until he can’t see Ace walking down the stairs anymore before going back into his apartment. 

Right before he goes to sleep, he texts Koala ‘Ace is amazing’ and that night he dreams of running in meadows, of being a kid, with a kid that looks like Ace.

 

“You slept with him?” Koala asks as she burst through the apartment door, making Sabo wince.

“We didn’t sleep,” he answers, yawning, and Koala gasps.

“Oh my god don’t tell me you spent all night having se-“

“NO!” He blushes furiously, waving his hands in front of her face, “I told you we talked! We spent all night talking!”

“… Talking.” Koala repeats, raising an eyebrow.

“For real, talking.” He sighs, walking over to the one table in his living quarters, taking the notepad he’d left there earlier that day, and handing it to Koala. “He has the dreams too.”

She skims through the notes, frowning, “I thought we were the only ones?”

He shakes his head, “I think that kid, Luffy, can see it too, and I wasn’t able to see anything until after I bumped into him.” 

“And I didn’t see anything until after I bumped into you,” Koala’s frown deepens, “So how did your new boyfriend start seeing things too?”

Sabo blushed, “He’s not my boyfriend!” and he sighed, “no idea, I’ll ask him if he knows the kid though, that might explain a couple-” His phone rings, interrupting their conversation, he smiles when he sees the caller is Ace, and Koala giggles. “Hey, what’s up?” 

“Sorry for calling you right as I’m going to work but, by any chance, do you know a kid named Luffy?” Sabo gasps, and Ace laughs, “I guess that answers my question.”

“Why do you ask?” 

“He just walked up to me, told me I was one of his brothers in a dream,” he sighs, “And guess what?”

“… Do I really want to know?” 

Ace chuckles, and Sabo can hear a door opening, “He told me he had another brother.”

“Why is that important?”

“Cuz it was you.” They stay silent for a moment, and then Ace sighs, “Now I’m thinking it was fated for us to meet.”

“Ace, I don’t think that’s how it works,” Sabo starts, but Ace just laughs.

“Me neither, but if this weird kid knows both of us from a dream, then he’s obviously involved somehow, right?”

He looks at Koala, biting his lip, “I was talking to my friend about that actually,” he starts, “I think he might be some sort of… Trigger for the dormant memories in us.” 

“That would make sense. He always hangs around the Phoenix with his friends, there’s a pretty good burger joint nearby, but this is the first time he talked to me. It was weird.” Sabo laughs, and Ace huffs, “It was!”

“Oh I know, he talked to me once, after I walked into him, and he’s… Different.”

“I think I can get him to sit with us and talk, but right now I gotta get to work, I’ll see you tomorrow ok?” And with that, he hangs up.

“So… Your not-boyfriend has visions, knows the kid that made yours start, and you two were related in the past?” Koala summarizes from what she heard Sabo say, and Sabo nods.

They stay in silence for a long while, staring at nothing in particular, before Koala’s phone rings.

“It’s Robin. Hello?” She listens for a few moments, and nods, “I’m at Sabo’s place right now actually, if you want to come.” Sabo is about to complain about Koala inviting people to his apartment when the woman hangs up the phone, “Robin figured out more stuff, she’s coming to tell us.”

“What is it so important that she can’t tell you over the phone?”

“I’m not sure,” Koala crosses her arms, “but she sounded really serious.” 

Robin shows up twenty minutes later, which gave Sabo enough time to have breakfast, something Koala made fun of him for, seeing as it was way past breakfast time, and he was almost done with the dishes when there was a knock on the door. Koala opened up, letting Robin into the living room, helping her carry the ridiculous number of books she had in her hand.

“What’s wrong?” Sabo asks, seeing the woman’s face.

“I figured out what the connection between us and the kid is.” Sabo and Koala stared at each other, without saying anything, and then looked at Robin, “He was the captain of one of the pirate crews that was caught up on the war, called the Strawhats.” She swallows, opening a book of what looked like it was filled with very old posters, like the kind they use in movies for pirates, and Robin was flipping through the pages, stopping in a page that shows a woman who looks almost exactly like her, with her name exactly the same, “I was part of his crew.” 

Sabo and Koala stare at her, and the poster, and then back at her, neither being able to process what was happening.

“I started to see visions separate from the Revolutionaries now,” Robin explains, “and they all have the Strawhat crew. I haven’t been able to figure exactly what happened, which is why I want to meet with the boy, with Luffy.” 

“Ace told me he hangs around the burger joint by the tattoo parlour, I can try finding him if you want.” 

“That would be lovely,” Robin answers, “Now, why were you and Ace talking about Luffy?”

Sabo chuckles nervously, and explains everything to Robin. They take a small break for tea, and then they talk about Ace’s dreams, about Sabo’s most recent one, and about Koala’s. They’re both starting to see visions from their ancestors’ youths, and they’re not all pretty. 

He touches the scar on his face and gasps, going numb for a few seconds, and unable to hear what Koala was saying. He can feel the fire burning his skin all over again, but this time he isn’t being pushed into a campfire, this time there’s something exploding, and he can hear water around him, see the fire building up, and feel the warmth of the flames. It’s not until Koala shakes him by the shoulders that he’s able to come back to reality.

“What’s wrong?” Robin asks, standing in front of him.

“I had another vision,” He says, frowning. “this one was weirder; it was… I was little, it was some sort of bomb or something, but the boat I was in was burning, and my face… Koala, in your dreams, did I have a scar?”

“Yes, it wasn’t as long as this one, mostly around your face and head, easy to hide with some well-placed hairs. Why?”

“I think I just saw how I got it.”


	5. Chapter 5

When he sees Ace again in a week, the plans they had to see each other sooner had backfired on them, since both ended up being a lot busier than expected, they go on a walk, enjoying the warmth of the spring. They talk about many things, mostly about what they do, about school, about work, about how ridiculously easy it is for Ace to come up with jokes. They’ve been walking for a few hours when Sabo exclaims he’s hungry, and Ace smiles.

“Remember I told you I have three jobs?” Sabo nods, how could he forget? “Well, I work at a pizzeria, and it’s nearby, would you like to try it?”

Sabo chuckles, “How do you manage to have time off when you work in three different places?”

Ace shrugs, smiling “it’s easy when everyone is friends with each other.”

They laugh, and Ace guides Sabo down the street, and then turning a couple of times, until they’re standing in front of a family restaurant, a pizzeria, called Raftel.

“This is the place?” Sabo asks, staring at the name, seeing a small man with a giant moustache rolling a pizza in the logo.

“Yup, here it is. Come on!” Ace takes Sabo by the hand and guides him inside, where a gorgeous woman with long golden hair and freckles all over her face receives them.

“Ace! Welcome,” The woman smiles and Sabo feels like it’s familiar somehow, “You and your date would like a table I’m guessing?”

Ace chuckles, blushing slightly, putting a bit more pressure on Sabo’s hand. Sabo’s grip becomes stronger and Ace relaxes, “It’s ok, Mom, I can take us myself.”

The woman laughs, letting Ace and Sabo pass her by, and Sabo stares at the two with wide eyes.

“She’s your mom?” 

“Yeah…” He scratches his head with his free hand, letting Sabo’s go as they reach their table, “I didn’t want to tell you until later, but my parents own this place. My dad is the cook, my mom does everything else when I’m not around.”

“That’s amazing,” Sabo says, smiling sweetly, “It’s sweet to see a family working together.”

Ace blushes, but nods, smiling, “Stop being cheesy, you won’t leave anything for the pizza.” 

“I’m just shredding some feelings here, don’t be mean.”

Ace stares at Sabo for a few moments, then burst out laughing, so much in fact, that tears escape his eyes. “That was so bad!”

“But it made you laugh!” Sabo says as he smiles, and they stare at each other, smiling softly.

A young woman comes to the table then, taking their orders, bringing their drinks a couple of minutes after.

“About that cafe you want to take us to,” Ace starts, and Sabo interrupts.

“I want to go on next Saturday, if you can,” Ace raises an eyebrow, and Sabo blushes, “I wanted to ask you… Would you be with me while I get my tattoo done?”

“Absolutely!” Ace answers without a second thought, “I work that day, but I’ll be by your side whenever there isn’t anyone new walking into the store!” Sabo’s smile grows and his cheeks turn the colour of tomatoes, and Ace laughs. “You know… I really like you.”

“That’s good, because I really like you too.”

“In that case, would it be ok if I tell everyone you’re my boyfriend?” Ace asks, blushing himself, “I know we’ve only known each other for a short period of time, but I think I won’t want to see anyone else but you.”

“That’s good, because I want no one else but you,” Sabo responds, smiling, “So yes, Gol D. Ace, you can tell all your friends you’re dating an amazing and hot dude.”

“Wow, Renolds Sabo, who knew you were so modest.” They stare at each other for a while, before laughing loudly. “I hope you like Hawaiian, boyfriend, because that’s what we’re getting.”

“I like anything as long as you’re the one eating it with me.” 

“And here I was thinking the cheese was going to be saved for the pizza.”

They laugh again, smiling as the pizza is served by the scariest looking pizzeria owner Sabo had ever seen in his life. 

“That’s my dad,” Ace says, as Sabo watches the man walk back to the back of house.

“I think I’m glad you look like your mom then,” Sabo answers as he takes a sip of his drink, and Ace serves him a slice on a small plate.

“Me too, my old man is terrifying,” they laugh, as they eat in comfortable silence.

“I have a boyfriend now,” Sabo says as he enters Robin’s office the next day, smiling from ear to ear.

“Congratulations!” Koala says, standing up and walking around the table to hug him, “Now I have more reasons to meet this guy.” 

“Well… He really wants to meet you too, so I was thinking of taking you to the bar he works at tonight.”

“I love you.” Koala says, “I am going to get myself hammered!”

Robin chuckles quietly from her seat, and Sabo looks at her, “Congratulations Sabo, I wish you the best.”

“Thanks Robin, it means a lot coming from you.” 

Robin smiles, but it all goes away pretty fast when she starts picking up her stuff after looking at the clock.

“We have to leave, I managed to locate someone who can explain to us what’s happening and how to fix it.” 

Koala gets all her things so fast Sabo can’t really tell what had been out of her bag, but she’s ready to go, alongside him and Robin, in less than a minute. He whistles, and Koala bows, as if she were a princess, accepting the compliment. The three leave the campus, Robin explaining on the way about the man they’re going to meet.

“He’s quite old now, but he seems to know and understand what we’re going through.” She says as she looks up a note on her den den mushi, “We should be close by, so make sure to look out for a door with the number 333.”

“Found it!” Koala says, walking over to the house, a very old, and very broken place.

“Ring the bell for us dear,” Robin says back, and Koala does as instructed. 

Sabo awaits patiently, until the door opens, and an old man, with light white hair all set up in a bun on the top of his head stares at them.

“Are you Dr. Nico?” he asks, looking at Robin up and down, frowning when he sees Koala and Sabo.

“Yes,” she answers, “these are the two young people I told you about on the den den mushi, Sabo and Koala.”

“Yes, yes, I know it, just walk inside before the crazy boy, oh great,” He groans, looking down the road, and ushering everyone in as fast as he can.

“Wait! He can help! Luffy!” Sabo calls out, waving a hand at the boy he could see down the road.

“The boy is a pain, no matter what life it is,” the old man groans again, walking inside, letting Sabo do as he pleases.

“Hey Sabo,” Luffy says when he’s close enough, “What are you doing at old Nolan’s place?”

“We’re going to talk about some stuff with him,” Sabo answers honestly, “I was thinking you’d be interested-”

“Oh the dreams? I’ve already talked to him about them, he’s the one that told me they’re all real things,” Luffy smiles as bright as the sun, and Sabo can’t help but smile along. 

“Why don’t you join us though? There’s someone I want you to meet.”

“Oh? Is it someone I met in a dream too?”

“I think so! She’s wanted to meet you since I told her I’ve found you though,” Sabo says, and Luffy’s eyes light up, excited.

“A girl!” He runs up the small stairway, walking into the doorway past Sabo, “Nami? Robin?” He calls, and Sabo laughs.

“It’s Robin,” He decides to spoil the surprise, “she should be with the old man.”

By the time he finds Robin and Koala and the old man, Luffy is already in front of the woman, hugging her, and sobbing softly. Sabo smiles, looking at the exchange, and the old man, Nolan, just sighs.

“Luffy, I’m trying to explain to this nice lady what’s going on, if you please,” He says, shaking his head, “I’ve explained everything to him since he’s had these visions from a very young age.”

“Tell me, sir Nolan, what would you recommend we do?” Koala asks, as Robin pats Luffy in the head.

“Nothing. Wait until it passes.” He sighs, “You’re not the first people to try and uncover the past, many have tried, but it’s hard work. Write books, make novels, do anything you can to make everyone learn of our past, but don’t try to change anything, it just ends up in death.”

Robin frowns, “Why do you say this, sir? Wouldn’t it be better to explain things, to expose the marines?”

Nolan shakes his head, a sad expression on his face, “There’s nothing good that will come from any of that my dear,” he pats his chest pocket, taking out a box of smokes and letting one dangle from his lips.

“My past self tried,” Luffy explained, sitting on the floor next to where the others were, “he died pretty fast.” Everyone turns to look at him, and Luffy just shrugs, “I’m trying to find everyone from the crew, and now that I know Robin is in GLU I just have to worry about Franky and Brook.” 

“What do you mean?” Sabo asks.

“Well, my crew was the one that was the cata- cata-“ 

“Cataclysm,” Nolan says, smirking at the boy.

“That! So if we want anything to happen, then I need the full crew, without them, I won’t do anything.”

“Even though you have me and Ace?” Sabo asked.

Luffy looked at him and smiled sadly, and Sabo got shivers down his spine.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you and Ace,” he says, and Sabo gets a bad feeling, “So I won’t ever include you on anything dangerous.”

Sabo wants to ask, but Luffy turns to Robin, and asks instead “Hey Robin, can I bring the gang to visit you in the university?” 

Robin smiles, “Of course! You just have to promise me that you won’t be rowdy.” 

Luffy smiles, and nods, suddenly getting up, “Oh no!” He says, and the people in the room turn to look at him, “I promised Usopp I’d be in his house by six and it’s way past that already! I have to leave!” The boy, without really caring for good byes, waved at everyone and left, as if the house were his own.

Robin and Koala bombarded Nolan with questions, but Sabo sat in silence, trying to figure out what had happened. Why Luffy had looked at him in that way. He touched the scar on his face again, thinking about the vision he’s seen, and wondering if it had anything to do with that. That incident hadn't involved Ace in any way though, so why wouldn’t Luffy want to include him either? He stops musing in his own head when he feels his phone vibrate on his pocket. Sabo takes his den den mushi out, looking at the screen and smiling softly, he types a response to the message quickly, and looks up, to see Koala looking at him with worry on her face. 

“Robin, Nolan, it was nice talking to you,” Sabo starts, as he gets up, “But Koala and I have somewhere to be.” Koala gasps, remembering what they were supposed to be doing that night. Sabo chuckles, “Now if you’ll excuse us,” he takes his bag and hangs it over his shoulder, Koala doing the same.

“Boy,” Nolan says as Sabo starts to leave, “Be careful.”

“Why do you say that sir?”

“Your feelings might not be what you think they are,” he looks at Koala, “You two only became closer after you figured out you knew each other before right?” Robin frowns, following where Nolan was going with this, “So you might not feel what you do for real, it could be just remnants of the past.”

“You’re saying that Sabo and Koala’s friendship only started because of their relationship in a past life?” Robin asks.

“Maybe not just that one,” He says, staring at Robin, “yours too, and any other that might had been a thing in the past.” Sabo swallows, immediately thinking of Ace. “Just… Be careful.”

Sabo nods, knowing he wouldn’t be able to say anything, and left the house with Koala. They didn’t say anything on their way to the bar, and right before they entered Sabo sighed.

“Don’t mention what we talked with Nolan to Ace, ok?” He asks, and Koala nods. 

She takes his hands on hers, staring up at his eyes, “Your feelings for Ace are real, don’t think that they’re not because of what some old man said to you, ok?”

Sabo smiles, nodding, entering the bar hand in hand. Sabo spots Ace before the man even notices he’s there, and, taking advantage of holding’s Koala’s hand, he pulls her towards the bar, where Ace is working.

“Ace!” Sabo says, smiling at the bartender, and Ace slides to right in front of him, “this is the friend I told you about, Koala.”

“Nice to meet you,” she says, a bright smile on her face, “thank you for taking care of our Sabo.”

“You never said she was gorgeous!” He winks at her, making her blush, “Who knew you had the Queen of Hearts in your hand.”

Koala giggles, “And the Ace of Spades in his heart.” Sabo blushes furiously as the other two laugh cheerfully. “Well then, mister bartender, make sure to give us some beer and whatever your best snack is!” 

“Absolutely! Two drafts coming right up, and some toasted edamame with pepper!” Ace winks at them as he leaves to get their beers.

“He’s cute,” Koala says, watching him walk away, “and holy crap look at that ass.”

“Koala!” Sabo blushes again, groaning as he hides his face on his hands.

“Come on, you know I’m right,” she teases, staring at Sabo’s ears go as red as his face.

“I know that,” his words are muffled by his hands, “I know how hot he is, ok?”

“Here you go,” Ace says, coming up with two tall beer glasses filled to the brim, “And look at that, I leave for a moment and Sabo is as red as a tomato, what did you do?”

“I mentioned your ass,” Koala says, proudly, as Sabo groans and begs for the floor to swallow him.

“It’s great, it’s it?” Ace says proudly, and then laughs. “Don’t tease the man so much, I’ll be back with your snack in a bit.” 

“Why are you this way?” Sabo asks, pouting, his face still red as he takes his beer and takes a sip.

“Because you’re fun to tease,” Koala responds, taking a sip from her own glass, “And because friends are here to embarrass you in front of your boyfriend, of course.” 

“That’s not fair, you’re not dating anyone right now,” He pouts again, crossing his arms, “I can’t do the same to you!”

“You could in the future, when I find myself a perfect lady or a gorgeous man, who knows? Maybe Ace has a brother or a cousin or a really hot friend.” 

They stared at each other, laughing happily together, when Ace comes with a large plate of toasted edamame.

“Here, some snacks for the lady and the tramp,” he takes a pepper mill from under the bar, “And, sadly, I can’t shake what my mother gave me tonight, so here you go.” He left it on the table and left with a smile. 

Koala and Sabo spent the rest of the night talking to Ace whenever he showed up, drinking a few beers, and waiting for the man to be done work so they could leave together. When Ace finished they walked Koala home, which was pretty near to the bar, then Ace and Sabo walked back to get Ace’s bike. Ace gave Sabo a ride, and when they were in the parking lot, kissing, Sabo stopped.

“Ace?” He asked, looking at anything but the person in question.

“Yes?” 

“Do you… Do you want to come in?” 

Ace smiled, turning is motorcycle off, getting off, “Absolutely.”

Sabo wouldn’t tell Koala that the first time he slept with his boyfriend was the day she met him.


	6. Chapter 6

The day was finally here, and Sabo was freaking out. He was finally getting his tattoo done. He had woken up extra early, to a text from Ace too, which made him smile. He took a shower, dressed, ate, and still had enough time to leisurely walk to The Phoenix. 

He was breathing hard by the time he walked in the store, and Ace walked over the counter to hug him. 

“You’ll be ok, I promise,” Ace says right in his ear, his arms wrapped tightly around him, “I’ll be here the whole time for you.”

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Sabo says, hugging him back, feeling Ace laughing against his whole body. 

They separate, and Marco is there, leaning against the doorframe, smirking. The two young men separate, blushing, and Marco laughs.

“Come on, I’ve got everything ready for you.”

Sabo nods, looks at Ace, and takes a deep breath. He walks behind Marco to the back of the parlour, where Marco is sitting with gloves on, taking out some tiny plastic containers, using Vaseline to keep them in place on the small wooden stick he has on top of the paper, and right next to the small containers, was the drawing Marco had made. He had been in a week after his initial visit to look at the art, and had told Marco to change a few things. Now the drawing looked perfect.

“Tell me if there’s anything you wish to change on the drawing,” Marco said, passing the paper to him, Sabo examined it, looking at the lines on the paper, and nodding, smiling. “Good, I’ll go get a stencil then. Take off your shirt and sit down on the chair and wait for a bit.”

Sabo did as he was told, shivering slightly as he felt the cold air of the air conditioner hit his skin. Marco came right after with three pieces of paper. He moved behind Sabo, covering the whole skin of his back with rubbing alcohol, cleaning it, then taking a razor and using it to get rid of the tiny hairs on Sabo’s back. Then he places the papers on Sabo’s back, one on the very left side, then another under it, and another under that one. He presses them in place, removing them after a few moments. He stares at Sabo’s back for a few moments, asking him to move his arms up, then to the front, then to the sides.

“Go check it out on the mirrors and tell me if you want anything different,” Marco points towards the hallway to the back of the store, were there are two mirrors, one in front of the other, and Sabo walks towards it.

He’s surprised to see the lines on his back, and he examines as much as he can, noting the flames weren’t drawn in at all. He turns around a couple of times, making Ace chuckle, and Sabo sticks his tongue out at him. 

He goes back to Marco, and asks, “How come you didn’t outline the fire?”

“I’m going to use your scar as the outline for it,” He explains, patting the chair, “I don’t want to put stress on it for as long as I can avoid it. Now lay down as comfortably as you can, this is going to hurt.” Marco laughs, and Sabo swallows loudly.

“Don’t be so mean!” Ace says from the front, walking in and smacking Marco in the head, “He’s already scared shitless!” 

“I wasn’t lying though,” Marco responds, shrugging. Sabo lays down on the chair while the two men talk, and Ace sighs. “You know how much it hurts, Ace.” 

“I know, but you’ll just scare him more if you’re an ass about it.”

“I’m ok,” Sabo says, looking to the side at Ace, “I think I can handle it.” 

“I’m going to start with a small line and see how it feels ok?” Marco says, setting up the machine, “Now look here, let me show you how I set it up so you know everything I’m using is new, especially for you tonight. Since I’m not doing colour I can use only these, and well, let’s start.”

Sabo swallows as Marco turns the machine on, the buzzing scaring him more than anything else. He sees Ace moving around, and a chair fills his vision. Ace sits on it a moment later, and extends his hand towards Sabo. Sabo takes it without a word, and Ace smiles at him.

“It’ll be fine, and if anything, I’ll force Marco to put some numbing lotion on you,” Ace says softly to him, and Sabo hides his face into the cushion of the extended seat, trying to hide the blush that’s suddenly overcoming him. 

“Make him laugh and I’ll kill you,” Marco says in the most relaxed tone Sabo has ever heard him speak in, and Ace huffs.

“It’s not my fault I’m an ace with puns,” Ace says, through a pout.

“Ace, The Punisher,” Tatch says, entering the store, making Sabo and Ace laugh with his joke.

“I’ll kill you too,” Marco sighs, and decides to get to work, “if it hurts too much let me know and we can take a break ok? The thing I want the least is to hurt you.”

“Maybe just a little bit,” Ace says, smirking.

“Shut up Ace or I’ll kick you out.” 

Ace laughs, and Sabo feels slightly better about the whole thing. The feeling doesn’t last too long though, as Marco makes a small line on his back, making him gasp. It doesn’t hurt like being kicked in the crotch like he thought, but it’s a pretty intense pain. 

“Can you take it?” Marco asked, and Sabo nodded, taking a deep breath as Marco started up again.

While he’s laying down with the buzzing of the machine in his ear, and Ace’s hand on his own, with Ace’s soft voice making commentary on the work Marco is doing, Sabo can’t feel any more relaxed.

That’s when it happens.

He starts seeing water around him, with some bricks on the floor, making some weird shapes on the water. He looks up, seeing what feels like through some sort of helmet, and then he’s jumping through the air, and grabbing something. He feels excited, exhilarated, and the moment he has the orange fruit in his hand he feels happy, then he bites the ugly thing in his hand he can feel a warmth that compares to nothing he’s ever felt before.   
 Sabo can feel the surge of power go into his body, and he smiles. He grabs a lady by the waist, and takes off the heavy helmet.

“Ace, I’m taking over your ability.”

A giant pillar of fire is generated below him, and he’s smiling, he can feel it, but he’s sad at the same time. He’s taken over the power of his late brother, and he can’t explain how complicated his feelings are at this moment. He wants to scream, in happiness, in sadness, in excitement, in fury. He wants to make everyone pay for what they did to his brother, but he wants to make Luffy happy. 

“Sabo?” Ace says, and Sabo gasps, feeling the pain of the needle against his back, hearing the buzzing of the machine at his left side, and seeing Ace’s worried face in front of his own. “Are you ok?” he asks, and Sabo feels bad.

“I-” He swallows, hissing at a particular sore spot on his back, “I had a vision, Ace.”

“We can talk about it after you’re done, if you want,” Ace says, and Sabo nods.

He starts relaxing again, and the visions come back. This time around he’s fighting someone, a very tall man, tanned skin, and the ugliest laughter he can think off. He’s extremely angry, he sees nothing but red, and he punches that man so hard his fist actually hurts.

“Sabo,” He can hear Ace’s voice. He blinks, looking up act him, “I’m just going to keep talking ok?”

“Please,” Sabo pleads, and Ace winces.

“I’ll find a book and read it to you ok?” He takes out his den den mushi, looking through google books, and finding one that seems interesting.

Sabo feels infinitely glad to have Ace in his life in that moment, reading him a mystery novel in the middle of a tattoo parlour, as he’s being stabbed repeatedly with tiny needles. He doesn’t want for anything to change, ever, and something in the back of his mind tells him absolutely nothing of what he’s experiencing right now is real.

He has to remind himself that he’s wrong. The pain of the needles is real, the buzzing of the machine is real, the hum of the air conditioner is real, the hand holding his is real. His feelings are real. He likes Ace, more than he’s ever liked someone before. He might be in love with Ace, but it’s too early to tell. He likes being around Ace, seeing his face smiling at him, kissing him, holding him in bed as they lay together after a night of passion. 

His feelings are real, and Ace is proving it to him.

Nothing his brain is trying to come up to counter these feelings makes sense anymore, nothing he can tell himself to make him doubt Ace’s feelings towards him makes sense, absolutely nothing matters anymore except them, sitting there, in that cold room, hearing the buzzing of tattooing machines, and Sabo is happy.

He’s truly happy.

Ace smiles at him as he reads, and Sabo smiles back, hissing at the pain on his back, hearing the talk between Marco and Tatch from afar, as if they weren’t even there. The only thing that makes sense, the only thing that matters is Ace, with his freckles and his curly hair, with his stupidly tight jeans and his orange shirt, with his hand interlaced with Sabo’s, with his voice constant and smooth and grounding him.

He never thought he would experience something that felt so surreal, so abnormal, when getting his tattoo done. 

He never expected to have someone there with him, hiding that mark that has haunted him since he was eleven, the only proof that he had had a family. The proof that he was a somebody. He realizes his past self got his scar escaping from something, he got his trying to fit in. He had fallen into a camp fire when he was eleven, and his parents’ reactions were the only thing made living with the scar worth anything. They had sued the camp he was in, they had fought teeth and nail for his recovery to be in the best of hospitals, they have screamed and pleaded for vengeance. They had made sure to yell at every kid who ever made fun of him for it, to yell at every parent who didn’t discipline their offspring. He was proud of the scar, but it haunted him.

He had been afraid of fire all his life, only to always been drawn to it in the end. 

Being with Ace was like being engulfed in those flames he felt in his vision, warm, calming, relaxing, and more than anything, loving. He couldn’t stop looking at the man’s face, wondering what would have been like to be friends from childhood. Ace had never asked about the scar, never made a comment, but he had kissed it, their first time together. He had kissed his face, smiling, laughing, over and over again. 

“What are you smiling about?” Ace asks suddenly.

“You kissed my scar,” Sabo answers, and for the first time he sees Ace blushing scarlet. 

Marco stops his work and looks up, curious, “When did he do that?” Sabo blushes, and Marco laughs, “I’m guessing it was during an… intimate moment then?” And neither says anything, but they nod, and Marco laughs, softly, and the buzzing starts again. 

When it finally finished and Sabo is able to get up from the chair his whole back is aching. He walks over to the mirror as he’s instructed, and he gasps. It’s only lines, black lines, both thin and thick, and he can’t help but stare at the reflection in the mirror. It’s beautiful. 

“I love it,” He says going back to Marco and sitting on the chair, “it’s the most amazing thing I’ve seen in my life.”

“Besides me, you mean,” Ace says, and everyone laughs. 

Sabo looks curiously at Tatch and noticed there’s someone sitting on the man’s work station. He had been so into Ace’s voice he hadn’t heard anything else. He blushes slightly as Marco covers the fresh tattoo with a special gauze, using medical tape to hold it in place.

“Take it off after six or seven hours, wash it with water and unscented soap, and then keep it uncovered. It needs to breathe.” Marco orders, and Sabo nods, putting his shirt back on with Ace’s help.

Marco walks over to the counter, and Ace smiles. “Thanks man, means a lot.” 

“Just pay me and get out of here, kids.”

 

They finally get to try that cafe that Sabo had been eyeing for a few months. On the outside there’s a few tables, and Ace tells Sabo to wait on one. While he waits, he looks around. The store has a huge logo of a straw hat, and Sabo chuckles. It looks exactly like the one Luffy was wearing the first time they met. On top of the hat it reads “Mugiwara” and Sabo feels a weird itch at the back of his head, as if it was trying to get him to remember something.

“Sorry for the wait,” Ace says as he sits down, putting a coffee on front of Sabo, taking a sip out of his own, “There were so many flavours I didn’t know what to pick, so I got white mocha for me, and salted caramel for you. Mine’s pretty sweet, but if you don’t like yours we can trade!” 

Sabo takes a sip from his drink and smiles, “It’s delicious. Thank you, Ace.” 

They spend what feels like hours talking, and Sabo doesn’t want to tell Ace about his visions, but he does. Ace makes sure to reassure him. “No matter what you saw, you’re now sitting here with me, drinking weird coffees, telling me how much your back aches, and smiling at me like I'm the most amazing thing in the world.”

Sabo laughs, and Ace laughs with him. “You are the most amazing thing in the world,” Sabo says, and Ace smiles big and bright. 

Sabo looks at him, and it feels like he’s seeing for the first time all over again. Ridiculously attractive, beautiful, and just… Perfect.

They walk back to Sabo’s place together, and, sadly, they discover that having sex with a fresh tattoo is not really a good idea.


	7. Chapter 7

Sabo wakes up to Ace screaming. 

He turns around as fast as he can, hissing when the skin of his back pulls from the movement. It takes him a moment to realize what’s wrong, and then he sees Ace sweating buckets, and twisting and turning, and Sabo gets into action. He sits up, and starts shaking Ace awake, but nothing he does works. He tries to move him, anything, but Ace is frozen in place, moaning in pain, and Sabo is terrified.

“Forgive me,” Sabo says as he pushes Ace as hard as he can, making him fall out of the bed. Ace gasps, both in surprise and pain, and Looks up to see Sabo staring at him from the bed, scared. “Are you ok?”

“Y-yes.” Ace is shaking, and Sabo immediately gets out bed and kneels in front of his boyfriend, not sure if he should hug him, or pat his head, or what, but he’s there, with his hands on Ace’s knees, and Ace is staring at him with tear filled eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Sabo’s voice is soft, almost a whisper.

“I died,” Ace starts, his voice shaky and raw, “I died Sabo, that’s why you can’t-“ He moves forwards, wrapping his arms around Sabo’s neck, resting his forehead on Sabo’s shoulder. 

“What are you talking about?” Sabo pats Ace’s back, moving his hands in calming motions, feeling how hard Ace’s heart is beating against his chest.

“That’s why you don’t remember anything about me as an adult,” Ace starts whispering in Sabo’s ear, “you never saw me as an adult Sabo, I died, I died saving Luffy.”

Sabo’s eyes open in realization, and he holds Ace tightly against his chest. They stay like that, awkwardly kneeling, hugging each other, in silence, for so long that their legs start going numb. 

“Sabo…” Ace starts, and Sabo immediately lets go of him, as Ace moves his arms away from Sabo’s neck, “let’s get in the bed.

Sabo nods, failing at getting up, which makes Ace laugh until he tumbles back unto the floor when he tries to stand up. They move slowly, sitting on the bed, side by side, and smiling at each other.

“You know it’s all in the past right?” Sabo says, using one hand to caress Ace’s cheek, “it’s not going to happen again.”

Ace nods, smiling softly, turning his face towards Sabo’s hand and kissing it. “Let’s get back to sleep,” he says, and Sabo nods, crawling to his side of the bed, and trying to get on the most comfortable position he could find, which ends up being face down. Ace chuckles, watching him, “It’ll be better in a few days, don’t worry.”

“Yeah… But it’s bothering me now, why didn’t you tell me it’d suck this much?”

“Oh,” Ace laughs, and turns to face his boyfriend, ruffling his hair, “this is nothing, honey, wait until it starts itching.”

————————-

Despite the scare in the middle of the night, Sabo and Ace had an amazing day. They made breakfast together, showered together, mostly to the benefit of Sabo’s back, and then decided to spend the rest of the morning in the living room, where Ace watched tv, Sabo did his homework, and they drank tea in comfortable silence.

Sabo had told Robin over an email what had happened, and she asked for a detailed recount of the dream, which is why Ace had to sit down and write it all out in Sabo’s computer while the other prepared a back for the both of them.

They had talked about going out for lunch and invited Koala to spend some time with them, and just as they were making out on the couch and touching each other like the horny men they were, Koala knocked on the door.

“Come on, come on, get dressed, I’m hungry already!” Koala said, noticing how neither of them were wearing something that could be considered street clothing, specially considering Sabo wasn’t even wearing a shirt, and she gasped when she saw Sabo’s back, “What is that!”

She walked up to him, and Sabo smiled, proudly showing the artwork on his back. Koala stares at every line, every little detail, and followed the path of the dragon with her eyes. “It looks amazing, when did you get it done?”

“Yesterday, actually.” Sabo responded as Ace walked into the room to get dressed.

“It’s so shiny and smooth and I can’t touch it, can I?” 

“Actually, go ahead, it doesn’t hurt right now.”

“Are you sure? It’s still so fresh…” Koala extended her hand, ready to touch the tattoo but scared.

“Yeah, Ace touched it while he helped me clean it, it doesn’t hurt, it’s just… A slight burn I guess?”

Koala nodded, knowing full well Sabo couldn’t see it, and she touched a line with the tip of her fingers, gasping, removing her hand immediately, “It feels like any scar does!”

Sabo laughs, turning, looking at her as he nods, “Yup, I guess it’s nothing but scar tissue now.”

“It’s gonna itch like a bitch later on, “ Ace says, buttoning up the last button of his shirt, and both Koala and Sabo stare at him. Someone should tell him he looks really hot, but the two look at each other and smile, making Ace raise an eyebrow.

“Is it like when you scrap your knee and a scab forms?” Koala asks, as Sabo excuses himself to get dressed.

“Yeah, you scab and all when you get a tattoo, but you can’t scratch it or peel it off cuz it’ll damage the work.”

Koala feels shivers down her spine, “Woo, I don’t think I’d enjoy a tattoo then, I always end up scratching when something itches.”

Ace laughs, putting his arm around her shoulders, “Well, lady, I’m sure they would look amazing on you, and I know of a place where they could make anything you wish for in tattoo form.”

Koala giggles, and pats Ace’s arm, “You might, but that doesn’t make my fear of actually getting one disappear!”

Ace laughs as he lets her go, watching as Sabo walks uno the room, “Damn, if I were made of wax I’d be melting right now from how hot you are.”

“Ace!” Sabo blushed furiously as Koala laughed, and Ace just smiled. “Come on,” Sabo says, after clearing his throat, “We should go now if we want to have lunch before dinner time.” 

They go eat in a place near Sabo’s apartment building, where they serve food from an island none of them had ever heard of before, but it’s apparently really close to Alabasta. It’s all delicious, and a bit too spicy for Koala. Ace and Sabo eat until they can’t eat no more, and Koala is surprised to see how much food the two together can consume.

When they’re done Sabo takes them to the Mugiwara cafe, and they get a small table inside after each getting their drinks. They chat and laugh together as they drink them, the sound of a familiar voice calling to them interrupting their conversation.

“Hey Sabo, Ace!” Luffy walks up to their table, smiling from ear to ear, waving his hand. Ace’s smile fades form his face, and he pales slightly, forcing himself to smile at the approaching boy. Luffy stops and stares, and his own smile disappears for a moment. “Don’t give me that look,” he tells Ace, before turning to Sabo and smiling again, “What are you guys doing here?”

Sabo watched the small interaction with curiosity, extending his arm under the table and taking Ace’s hand on his own. “Just having coffee with a friend,” he says, “what about you?”

“Woah… Your friend is so pretty,” Luffy looks at Koala, smiling, “and my dad owns this place!” 

“Your dad?” Ace asks, blinking, smiling at Sabo before looking at Luffy.

“Yup!” He laughs, and he points towards the baristas with his head, “He hired a bunch of my friends too, but he says I’m too hyperactive to work here,” he laughs, “I come all the time to hang around though, Zoro loves it.” Sabo smiles. Luffy’s smile was contagious. They hear the door jingle as it opens, and Luffy turns to see who it is, before he grins and turns back to them, “I’ll see you guys later! Torah is here!” 

They watch him go towards a very tall, scary looking man, who obviously didn’t want to be bothered, and without noticing, they all said, “Good luck,” out loud. They looked at each other, blinking, before they burst out laughing out loud. 

 

“So that’s Luffy,” koala says, after they’ve calmed down.

“Yeah,” Sabo answers, taking a sip from his tea, “He’s… Unique.”

“He’s adorable,” she says, and Ace chuckles. 

“He has a very attractive personality,“ Ace says, watching how Luffy laughs as something the man he’s with says, “He seems to be able to attract all kinds of people.” 

“Yeah, he seems like the kind that everyone would love,” Koala says, smiling softly, “Like a sweet younger brother.”

“That’s what he was,” Sabo says, “in the past, he was our brother.”

———————-

The same thing happens a week later, when Ace is sleeping over at Sabo’s again, after a night of being out in the bar. This time Ace isn’t screaming as loud, and Sabo has to pinch his arm for him to wake up.

It happens again three nights after that, when Ace stayed over after picking Sabo up from University.

The fourth time it’s when Sabo sleeps over at Ace’s place for the first time. This time, Ace wakes up with tears running down his face.

“Has this being happening all this time?” Sabo asks, as Ace cleans up his face. 

“No,” Ace responds moments later, staring at the towel in his hands, “It only happens when we sleep together.”

Sabo forgets how to breath for a moment, having to force himself to inhale when he realizes it. He stares looks up at Ace, noticing the other had been watching him. 

“Only… When we’re together?” He asks, to which Ace nods.

“It’s weird, you’re nowhere in the memory, and nowhere in my past self’s mind at the time, and yet…” Ace goes quiet, staring at his hands once again.

They stay silent for a moment, neither moving, listening to the sounds of the early morning out the window. 

“We can’t keep sleeping together.” Ace says quietly, and Sabo takes a sharp inhale.


End file.
